In May 2014, after finishing the documentary film L’Assassinat d’Ilan Halimi (The Assassination of Ilan Halimi), Georges Benayoun embarked on a new project based on investigation and research conducted by teachers in 2002 and 2003 under the direction of Emmanuel Brenner, and summarized in Profs en territoires perdus de la République ? (Teachers in the Republic’s Lost Territories), published in 2004. The essay examines violent protests in certain history and geography classes, particularly given the loss of certain values defended by the Republic due to an Islamist offensive in classroom instruction.

We realized the subject was topical. Since 2002, the situation has significantly worsened, precisely because it wasn’t properly understood at the time. Over ten years later, this France 3 film alerts us to today’s key issues.